HINGHAM POLICE: College students home on spring break caught using fake IDs to buy liquor

Hingham officers working inside a local liquor store during college spring break apprehended two minors, who attempted to purchase beer, with fake out-of-state licenses. The police were working under a specialized state grant. Both of the minors were summoned to court on two charges.

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The Dedham Transcript

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Posted Mar. 25, 2014 at 12:01 AM

Posted Mar. 25, 2014 at 12:01 AM

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Hingham officers working inside a local liquor store during college spring break apprehended two minors, who attempted to purchase beer, with fake out-of-state licenses. The police were working under a specialized state grant. Both of the minors were summoned to court on two charges.

Hingham police were awarded a grant from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) for Underage Alcohol Enforcement. The grant allows funding for compliance checks at restaurants and stores, plainclothes party patrols and officers to work inside liquor stores in an operation known as Cops in Shops.

The Cops in Shops allows for plainclothes police to work inside liquor stores during peak hours to find those minors who ask adults to purchase liquor for them; minors who use fraudulent or others valid licenses; and adults who purchase alcohol for minors. The Cops in Shops operations are conducted with the cooperation of the liquor storeowners, who agree to allow police to work inside their businesses. During the March college spring break, police worked the Cops in Shops at various night and times.

On March 8 at 6:26 p.m., Detective Philip Tracey and Officer John Marquardt were working the Cops in Shops operation inside the Euro Mart on Whiting Street. They saw a customer enter the store and walk directly to the beer cooler. He removed a six-pack of Bud Light beer, carried it counter, and the handed the clerk a Connecticut license and money to pay for the beer. As the clerk was reading the license, officers approached and also began to examine the license. When officers asked if he had another ID, the customer admitted to the “This is actually a fake ID”. The customer, an 18-year-old Hingham teen, admitted to purchasing the fake ID online for $75. The fake license had his picture and his actual name.

On the same night, at 7:45 p.m., another customer entered the same store, walked directly to the beer cooler, and removed a 30-pack of Bud Light. He brought it to the counter, and when the clerk asked for his ID, he presented a Rhode Island driver’s license and cash to pay for the beer. Because the customer appeared to be under 21, the officers approached him and he admitted “It’s a fake ID”. The customer, an 18-year-old Hingham teen, admitted he purchased it online for $150. The fake license also had his photo and actual name.

The two college students arrived in different cars and did not appear to know each other. They were not arrested at the store but were summoned to Hingham District Court. They are each facing two charges: 1). False Identification/Misuse of an ID (Chapter 138 Section 34B 2). Person Under 21 Attempting to Procure Liquor (Chapter 138 Section 34A). Dates for their court appearances have not yet been set by the court. Their names are not being released because they have not yet been formally charged.

Page 2 of 2 - The two fake licenses have many realistic features including holograms and are high quality. Officers brought them to a nearby business to scan them on a machine. When scanned, the magnetic strip, or barcode, on the back matched the information on the front. As a result, when using a commercial scanner at a business, these “licenses” would indicate as valid.

This Underage Alcohol Enforcement grant runs through September 2014. As part of the ongoing effort to prevent underage access to alcohol, reduce incidents of alcohol related tragedies such as drunken driving crashes, Hingham police will continue operations such as Cops in Shops with the support of local liquor store owners.

The penalties for a conviction of providing false identification to purchase liquor include up to a 3 months jail, up to $200 fine and revocation of their MA drivers license for one year. The penalties for a conviction for being a minor attempting to buy liquor include up to a $300 fine and suspension of their MA driver’s license for 180 days. The license suspensions by the RMV are mandatory for both offenses, regardless of whether the minor was actually driving a vehicle at the time.